American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 1,449.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 257,245 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 240,642 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.36% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $84,263,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance
WST traded down $3.98 on Friday, reaching $222.08. The stock had a trading volume of 496,755 shares, compared to its average volume of 664,265. The business's 50-day moving average price is $266.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $298.43. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $197.01 and a 12-month high of $396.75. The company has a market cap of $16.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $739.59 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. Sell-side analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 12.56%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
WST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.50.
Get Our Latest Report on West Pharmaceutical Services
West Pharmaceutical Services Profile
(
Free Report)
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc designs, manufactures, and sells containment and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in two segments, Proprietary Products and Contract-Manufactured Products.
Recommended Stories
Before you consider West Pharmaceutical Services, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and West Pharmaceutical Services wasn't on the list.
While West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Nuclear energy stocks are roaring. It's the hottest energy sector of the year. Cameco Corp, Paladin Energy, and BWX Technologies were all up more than 40% in 2024. The biggest market moves could still be ahead of us, and there are seven nuclear energy stocks that could rise much higher in the next several months. To unlock these tickers, enter your email address below.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.
